Klonopin is a sedative often prescribed for severe anxiety or epileptic seizures. This drug works by slowing down the brain to relax the user. This medication works to relax the user and create a state of calm. Dependence on this pill can happen quickly and unexpectedly. Because Klonopin blocks the receptors causing stress and anxiety, after taking it for a time, the brain becomes dependent upon the pill to relax, this functionality enables people to become addicted easily. The high associated with this medication has been equated to that of heroin. This extreme and relaxed high is appealing to anyone, but particularly those that are already susceptible to addiction. Additionally, this is generally something that one would begin to take after being prescribed it by a doctor. The belief that nothing bad can come of taking a pill as prescribed can lead to dependence which can lead to addiction.

Addiction to Klonopin will likely begin as medicating per a doctor’s instructions, which can be even more confusing for the patient. There is a sense of security that goes with following a doctor’s orders, even if they are not fully understood. This is truly a false sense, understanding prescribed medication is crucial to overall health. Further, Klonopin is a fast acting drug that stays in the body for a relatively long time. Once the effects of the pill do wear off, the feelings of anxiety and false relaxation return as well. This can lead the user to take more of the medicine and develop further dependence. Misuse of this drug can also result in overdose.

Using Klonopin can assist certain people in dealing with specific ailments, but it should be taken with caution. Accidental addiction is a real hazard, particularly with medications of this nature. It is important to understand that this medicine can become addictive even when taken exactly as prescribed. Treatment begins with detoxifying the body, ridding it of any residual medication. Once detoxification occurs, the addicted person must also find ways to deal with the stress or anxiety that prompted the medication to initially be prescribed. Klonopin addiction is a serious issue that can come about with no preamble, so taking this medication should be done after research and analysis of the risks and benefits.

Prescription drug addiction is usually burden to the user’s family and community instead only to the user. The drugs damage relationships between the user and family, friends or community but also damages the user’s level of self-respect.

This leads directly to an even stronger craving for the drug since user experience voidness and lack of love. So how can we treat this problem?

Specialized therapies like Cognitive Behavior Therapy

CBT or cognitive behavior therapy is one of the most successful therapies in every drug-treatment program since the experts “peek” into the thoughts of an addict. In this way, doctors can see the root of the problem and come up with the strategy that slowly changes the addict’s thinking about the drug. The focus is on developing skills of resilience and coping with the negative emotions, which is vital for the overall recovery.

Holistic therapy

Some facilities often offer a holistic therapy which is basically “cleaning of your mind, body, and soul.” The practitioners of this therapy hold an opinion that an addict must achieve physical healing to heal his emotional and spiritual wounds. Spa sessions, meditations, diets or involvement in arts and sport are among the most common methods for treating the addiction throughout this therapy. In essence, the logic behind these is that the addict’s mind is constantly busy which minimizes the risk of the relapse.

Inpatient rehab

This therapy is for those who decide to get the treatment in the hospital or specialized facility, like a farm for example. During this therapy, the patient is under constant medical supervision which increases the chances of a full recovery. During their time in the specialized facility, they often have a set of simple tasks throughout the day to keep their mind active. It means they will have a normal life with everyday tasks in a controlled environment to get away from the drug cravings, but at the same time, they will slowly adapt to the everyday life.

Note that the daily schedule (regarding tasks and jobs) can be different from facility to facility. Also, inpatient treatment is more efficient than outpatient treatment where an addict goes to a facility on a daily basis to attend the sessions after he/she returns to his/her home.

Drugs are useful when it comes to a treatment of some illness or a condition, but they become a real danger when people start abusing them or using them just to have fun, eel numb or to drink more alcohol.

Misuse of prescription drugs became one of the leading problems in the world, especially in the US, where 44 people die from the prescription drug on a daily basis. The real problem is that this number goes up every day.

What is a misuse of prescription drugs?

It refers to taking medication in a dose or a manner other than prescribed by a doctor or professional. This penalty also includes also taking someone else’s drug regardless of the fact that you, for example, have a severe physical pain – the drug is not on your name, so it is a misuse automatically. However, the third and the biggest problem is taking prescribed medications just to feel euphoria (i.e., to get high).

How and why people misuse prescription drugs

To get high, addicts usually take a recommended dosage and shortly after take one more dosage. This is especially correct when we have a case of long-term addicts who develop a tolerance on a certain substance. The addict can’t feel the high from the usual dosage, so they reach out for more.

Due to increased demand for stimulant prescriptions, they have not been more available than ever, which leads to increased non-medical use. It means that people can experiment with these drugs and use them on their own. Some people use stimulants (amphetamine, especially) for improving mental abilities like focus, attention or even fatigue to keep up with their everyday tasks.

Who to blame for?

Some people hold an opinion that the US Army is partly blamed for increased misuse since they unveiled that the military had been using stimulants (amphetamine to be precise) in Afghanistan for increased combat abilities so it is logical that one person among five of them would say: Army used, so can I. Still, it is not important whose fault is this. What’s more important is to inform people, raise the awareness and prevent people from abusing prescription drugs.

It is hard to define which drug is the most harmful, but is definitely known which types of prescription drugs are mostly misused. Some of these have been used for years, while some of them were developed a few years back. Here is the short list of commonly abused drugs.

Opioids

One of the most misused prescription drugs is opioids. Those are medications that react to opioid receptors in spinal cord and brain. These receptors are responsible for the feeling of pain. However, they also affect the region in t he brain which controls emotions. Opioids have been used for more than a century, but their use had increased during 1990’s when they were used for treating the chronic pain, even though some patients reported a strong addiction problem, especially after long-term use.

In a chemical sense, they are very similar to heroin, which was synthesized from morphine. Some of the most common opioids are hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin), morphine (Avinza), codeine and fentanyl.

Central nervous system depressants

These include tranquilizers, sedatives, and hypnotics. All of these slow the brain’s activity, which means they are good for treating anxiety and sleep disorders. The most common are benzodiazepines, sleep medications and barbiturates. Benzodiazepines include diazepam (Valium), clonazepam (Klonopin) and alprazolam (Xanax) which are proven to be good in the treatment of anxiety and panic attacks.

Sleep medications (Ambiem, Sonata….) are a bit weaker in comparison to benzodiazepines regarding tolerance and addiction so they can be used on a long-term basis but with the caution. The third group is barbiturates (Luminal, Nembutal…) which are used in surgical procedures or in treating seizure disorders. They have a great risk of overdosing, even when used in the prescribed dosage. That is why many people overdosed on CNS depressants.

Stimulants

As their name says, they stimulate the brain in the form of alertness, increased attention, increased blood pressure or heart rate. Stimulants are previously used for treating asthma, obesity and neurological disorders until it became apparent that they can be misused. After that, specialists decreased the number of conditions that could be treated with stimulants to decrease the level of abuse. The latest condition that doctors listed for treating with stimulants is ADHD, which proven to be very efficient. Still, stimulants are still being abused on the large scale.